Of course, correlation does not equal causation, but it is interesting to note that the regions of the state with the most robust local economy tend to be the regions that vote most heavily Democratic, and thus enact the most liberal local agenda (you know, things like mandatory paid sick leave). I suppose that doesn't prove anything in and of itself. But neither does it lend much credence to the Republican argument that these liberal policies are "job-killers."

(Oh. And Whitman County, that lone white outlier in Eastern Washington? That's the home of WSU. You know, guvmint jobs. So there.)